XiamenHistory

Geographic Connections Key locations mentioned: Xiamen, Longxi, Zhangzhou, Haicheng, Zhangpu, Yunxiao, Zhao’an, Yongan, Qingning, Longyan, Fuzhou, Majiang, Wucun, Lüdao, Miaoxiang, and Meirengong. Here’s a number that stopped me cold: in 1935, only 16% of the flour imported into Xiamen stayed in the city. The other 84% had to be resold to the inland towns of southern Fujian. An island city that couldn’t feed itself. For most of the 20th century, Xiamen’s biggest fight wasn’t with any army. It was with an empty stomach. ...

Ever wondered who invented the ticking heart inside your mechanical watch? The little part that goes click-click-click instead of spinning freely? I used to think it was the Europeans. Swiss watchmaking. Seiko. The usual names. Then I opened the Xiamen City Chronicles. There’s a man in there. Su Song. Born in 1020, in Tongan, Fujian. And he did something that made me stare at my screen for five straight minutes. ...

Geographic Connections Key locations mentioned: Wucun Shuanghan, Gulangyu Hezaixia, Liaozaihou, Wanggaoshi, Jinbang Mountain, Haicang Qingjiao, Tongan Dongfu, Gaoqi International Airport, and Dongdu Port. Introduction: The Tragic Memory of ‘Coffins in the Morning’ In the digital archives of Xiamen’s local chronicles, the late 19th century was a dark era. As a treaty port, Xiamen’s bustling maritime trade brought wealth, but also deadly pathogens. According to the Xiamen City Chronicles, the plague entered Xiamen via shipping from Hong Kong in 1884, with the first case recorded in Wucun Shuanghan. Over the following 68 years, Xiamen suffered 59 outbreaks, claiming 58,800 lives with a case fatality rate of 89.71%. ...